Against the Grind
by Daniel Wesley Rydell
Summary: They both had a problem breaking promises. IchiRuki.


**Against the Grind**

**

* * *

**

They fought. And when they fought things happened.

He'd call her a midget and she'd call him an idiot. At some point, she'd strike him, usually on the top of his head, or a nice smack to the face. He learned her moods as to not piss her off more when she was already angry, because that was when her extensive knowledge of kidou came into play.

She had a nasty tendency to try binding when he was doing random things, like walking down the stairs when she was angry. It usually ended... poorly for him. He'd managed to escape injury for now, anyway.

Despite his fear of her moods, that never stopped it.

She'd call him Strawberry, which infuriated him to no end, and he'd call her Shinigami, which made her feel uncomfortable more than she'd care to admit. She'd learned to judge his moods based on the day. Most days were fine, but the few days that weren't...

She'd wondered if she'd have to replace her eardrums during one of his yelling fits. She'd deserved it, but... ow. However, Unohana-taichou had judged her ears to be fine, despite what she thought. They only rang for a few days anyway.

Despite his ability to potentially break her eardrums, that never stopped it.

He knew she'd run to the ends of the earth to help him, even if it meant yelling at him to kick his self-doubt out the window. She'd always be there in a tight spot, even if it was just to cheer him on.

He supposed that was part of it.

She knew he'd go to any length to save her, whether it was facing down the Gotei 13, to heading to Hueco Mundo and risking his own life to make sure she lived another day. She knew he'd yell for her when she had no voice left to yell.

She knew that was a part of it.

He knew that others found their relationship to be strange. She was much shorter than him, and brought him to his knees regularly with solidly placed punches and kicks when he was being an idiot, which he knew she thought he was.

He knew it was worth it though.

She knew that others found their relationship against the norm. He was freakishly taller than her, and would run off at a moment's notice; forcing her to clean up the mess he'd left behind... even if that was his body. She knew far too many excuses had been used to explain the unusual events that surrounded the two.

She knew it was so worth it, though.

He saw others break their ties over the silliest of things, when it only would've taken a little bit of work to realize how much they had together. The little things don't matter when you've got it, after all.

He knew it was a strange way to look at it.

She saw others keeping things together when the little things were making them miserable, and it made her sad. Because the little things ate away at the foundation, the relationship was dying when it should've flourished. All it needed was tender loving care.

She knew others didn't agree with this way of seeing things.

He knew that to have a relationship was the best thing of all. He knew that every rush, every event, every little thing in his life that had happened couldn't compare to a relationship with her. And even though he knew it bothered her to refer to "it" as "it," he knew she understood.

He knew she was special that way.

She knew that having a relationship was biggest rush of all. She knew that everything that happened in her life had built to this very moment in time; the relationship she shared with him. And though she knew he referred to "it" as "it," she knew it was because the word was so special to him that he didn't want to overuse it or else it might lose its meaning.

She knew he was special like that.

He knew when that as she walked down that aisle towards him, that he'd fight til kingdom come to make sure that nothing and no one could take the angel in white away from him.

Ichigo was a knight like that.

She knew he swore an oath to her to protect her always and that he was reminding himself of that as she walked towards him, all dressed in white. She also knew that once in a while, she just might let him do that.

Rukia was a princess like that.

They both knew soon after that the vows that they exchanged were for keeps. And when he said "I do," he would fight through it all. And when she said "I do" it was forever. It was against the grind; no one said forever anymore and truly meant it.

But they both had a problem breaking promises.

* * *

_My first foray into Bleach. I had a good time with it, to be sure._

_To be honest, I was bothered by a fic that I'd read where Ichigo just wasn't willing to fight anymore, and it bothered me, though I know that's often how things will go. Oh well. _

_How'd I do? Review, if you please._

_~dwr _


End file.
